UN slams India for seeking deportation of Rohingyas

India came under fire from the UN Human Rights Council over its threat to deport 40,000 Rohingyas.

Earlier this year, the UN body had criticised India for rising communalism, caste violence and attacks on Africans besides criminalisation of same sex relationships, reports Indian news portal The Times of India.

Kicking off the 36th session of the Council in Geneva on Monday, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein criticised New Delhi’s current measures to deport Rohingyas “at a time of such violence against them”.

According to the news portal, while New Delhi did not make any official comment, India believes it is taking a balanced approach to the Rohingya issue in Myanmar, which is much more than a humanitarian crisis.

“India cannot carry out collective expulsions, or return people to a place where they risk torture or other serious violations, by virtue of customary law, India’s ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the obligations of due process and the universal principle of non-refoulement”, Zeid was quoted as saying according to The Times of India.

The human rights chief also expressed dismay over “a broader rise of intolerance towards religious and other minorities in India”. He condemned the current wave of violent mob attacks in the name of cow protection, calling it “alarming”. He also drew attention to the recent killing of journalist Gauri Lankesh.

However, he said he was “heartened by the subsequent marches calling for protection of the right to freedom of expression, and by demonstrations in 12 cities”, reports The Times of India.